In praise of Michelle Williams.

I didn't get a chance to watch very many of this year's Oscar-nominated films before the awards ceremony. Last year, I made a point to watch as many Best Picture nominees as possible. I didn't get around to all of them, but I did see over half. This year, I only saw one. (Although I did get to see the film that housed Meryl Streep's winning performance.) Anyway, this week I saw My Week with Marilyn.

I was a little skeptical, just because the Marilyn biopic has been done so many times before in varying forms. The movie itself was not very impressive. The story had a few holes, and there was very little setup of the plot in the beginning. You're given a portrait of Marilyn that only extends over a very brief period of time, and there are characters whose opinions of Marilyn seem to have no basis, or are contradicting throughout the film. However, the saving grace of the movie is Michelle Williams. She embodied Marilyn in a way that I have never seen. The physical resemblance is minimal, but she felt Marilyn. It was obvious in the way that she moved, the way that she laughed, the way that she batted her eyes at men.

Many people will not know what is meant by this, but Michelle Williams was to Marilyn Monroe what Judy Davis was to Judy Garland. This is an incredibly high compliment to be paid, as I feel Judy Davis became Judy Garland when she portrayed her a decade ago. Both of these women, if only momentarily, make you forget you are not watching the true Hollywood star on screen. If not for the fact that Meryl Streep was PHENOMENAL in The Iron Lady, I would gladly put the words "Oscar winner" in front of Michelle Williams name on any possible occasion.

Isn't it amazing how Michelle Williams ended up being the best thing to come out of Dawson's Creek?

Yay Meryl!

I am so frigging proud and happy for Meryl Streep's Oscar win last night. While she may be the most nominated actor in history, she has only won three statuettes. The last one was 29 years ago, making last night her only win in my lifetime. While a tie with Viola Davis would have been spectacular, I am just elated right now. Meryl's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher was phenomenal, and she has deserved another win for a long time.

That's really the only comment I have on the awards, as this upset at the end of the night had me floored.

I'd like to thank the Academy.

You are not going to believe this, but I did not watch the Golden Globes this year.

I used to follow the Hollywood awards season like nobody's business. I would watch the E! pre-shows all day leading up to the awards ceremonies. The Golden Globes and Oscars especially, but often the Emmys and Grammys as well. (Never got into the Tonys, as I was not very familiar with current Broadway plays, and still don't stay terribly well-informed.) But being without cable has really messed with my awards traditions. In fact, I was unsure of how I was going to watch the Globes anyway, but I forgot about them until about an hour in and by that point it seemed irrelevant. I mean, the whole reason for watching is to see the gowns, right?

Being as how at this point in my life I have basically given up on any dreams I ever had of being famous/semi-famous, I suppose now is as good a time as any to compose my useless Academy Award acceptance speech.

"Wow. I know people say all the time that they have dreamt of this moment since they were a kid, but I really have. I really have, I swear. Ask my mom and she'll tell you. I'll give you her phone number after the show. You can find me in the bathroom. I'm talking to you, Clooney.

Wow, okay, focus. I have to thank my family, especially my parents, who have done a lot to help me out over the years. I have to credit the love of my life, Bette Midler, who has made me want to be a better, more talented person. Thanks to my co-stars, director, and all the writers involved with *insert project name here*. Thanks to the Academy. Most importantly, I have to thank myself, without whom none of this would be possible. I have been my rock and my inspiration for so many years. Thanks, me! Oh, and thanks to Streep for not being nominated this year! Goodnight!"

Jesse James is the biggest douchebag on the planet.

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Things have been stressful lately. I've been trying to move and then ended up deciding not to. I've also been trying to plan a trip to Texas at the end of May with my grandparents, who apparently are worried that I cannot afford the trip. It's my money, my problem, I'll deal with it. I've also been working on getting my student loans put in forbearance for a second time. Hopefully that'll help me get caught up on some bills and things.

I rearranged all of the furniture in my apartment on Thursday, so hopefully that will provide a little glimmer of change to keep things steady for a while. Feng shui, and all that.

I never got a chance to make a post-Oscar blog, so I'll put a few things in about that now. I'm so glad Sandra Bullock won Best Actress and so sorry that the Best Actress curse has already caught up with her. No one deserves what has come to light about her husband's infidelities in the past week, especially someone so sweet, humble, hard-working, and kind who was otherwise on top of the world. It sucks hard, and my heart completely goes out to her.

Oscar fashion: Meryl Streep *gasp* YAY, Sandy Bullock YAY, Cameron Diaz GORGE, Gabourey Sidibe FIERCE, Zoe Saldana MEH, Charlize Theron HONEY NO, Miley Cyrus GO AWAY, Diane Kruger PUKE, Vera Farmiga EEEEKKK!!!!, George Clooney ALWAYS, Ryan Reynolds YUM, Jeff Bridges and Susan Geston ADORBS. As for the ceremony, mostly a snoozefest, but I was thrilled with Kathryn Bigelow's win as well as the NPH opening number and all of the barbs at Meryl throughout the night. Have ever mentioned how much I adore her?

Alright I guess that's all I've got for today. I should probably get back to work.

The actress that lays a golden egg every frickin' time.

Right now I'm totally loving the attention being lavished on Meryl Streep. From the fabulous NY Times article about the "cinematic chameleon" to an MSN rundown of the Oscars that Streep should have won, I feel like homegirl is finally getting the accolades she deserves.

What is that? Accolades? As if the sixteen Oscar nominations were not enough! I mean, blah blah blah. "It's such an honor to be nominated." That's bull. Meryl is the losingest actor in Oscar history. She deserves a special award just for being her spectacular self. With the roles she's had in the last few years, starting with The Devil Wears Prada, it feels like people are really starting to take notice of her all over again. She's become a major box office draw (thanks Mamma Mia!) and has been on the cover of countless magazines, getting discovered by a whole new, younger audience. I think it's great, especially at her age. Meryl seems so comfortable in her own skin, in a way that she didn't before. She seems freer, more approachable, and very lithe. Her fabulous cheekbones have always been one of her greatest physical attributes, but now her face appears softer, her eyes more dazzling.

So, thank you New York Times for saying what so many of us feel: give Streep another damn Oscar!

And while I appreciate the gesture, MSN Movies, I don't appreciate you calling the film that housed my favorite Streep performance "predictable" or any of her work "treacle". How dare you, sir! And her Devil Wears Prada performance not Oscar-worthy? Shame on you!

Okay, I'm done worshipping Meryl Streep for the day.

Best Picture nominees, parts 2 and 3

So I have now seen Precious, Up In The Air, An Education, and A Serious Man. Of the four, Up In The Air was my favorite, probably just because George Clooney is so delicious. I also found the characters to be the most relatable (for me, anyway). The performances in Precious were fantastic. It's hard to "like" a movie like that, mainly just because the story is so disgusting, but I did think it was very well done and surprisingly uplifting.

An Education was okay. I always enjoy movies set between the post-War years and the early 1960s. This one obviously fell on the other end of the spectrum. I liked the feel of the movie better than the movie itself. The costumes were amazing.

A Serious Man was excellent. Very funny, with an interesting storyline (even though the opening sequence felt very disjointed), and I really sympathized with the main character. His question of "Why does God present us with questions if he's not going to give us answers?" really hit home with me. I did not like the ending though. That's all I'll say.

This leaves me with Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, and Up. I have to admit I have no interest in seeing District 9 and probably won't. It has no chance of winning Best Picture anyway. I would really like to see Fantastic Mr. Fox and Crazy Heart, but if I don't get a chance before the Awards I won't feel too bad.

Now I'm off to continue reading Eclipse. Yes, that Eclipse.

Best Picture nominees, part 1

I have now actively started on my mission to view all of the Best Picture nominees prior to the Academy Awards on March 7. As of now, I have seen two: The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds, both excellent movies.

At first I thought The Hurt Locker was going to be boring. It started out kind of slow, but I realized that the opening scene was just setting the pace. The action really was slow-moving for the most part, but each of these drawn out moments were so suspenseful that, as I realized what was going on, it was easy to forget about the time and just get lost in the focus of the character and the actions they were performing. I liked the way they showed the main character assimilating, or attempting to, back into civilian life toward the end of the movie, but I also felt that part was a little forced. It didn't flow as well as the rest of the film, although that could have something to do with the fact that the pace was so different.

Sorry to be vague. I'm just trying not to give anything away to anyone who may not have seen the movie.

I really enjoyed Inglourious Basterds. The plot was very well thought out, I enjoyed the score, the dialogue was brilliant, and the cast was phenomenal. The brutality got to me a couple of times, but for the most part I didn't mind the gore. (Shows you how much I can take, calling anything in this movie gory.) All of the buzz about this movie is around Christoph Waltz, but I thought the best performance was that of Melanie Laurent. Of course, I was struck by her appearance as well. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Why? Well, let me show you.

Above, Melanie Laurent in Inglourious Basterds, courtesy Merveilleuse Melanie Laurent .

Below, Rosemary Clooney, courtesy Rosemary Clooney Palladium.

Eerie, isn't it?

I will be watching more of the nominees this weekend. Stay tuned!